mod bkgd

Thursday, November 15, 2012

a cardigan for Alexa Brooke

We're meeting our dear friends' new baby girl, Alexa Brooke, this weekend, and I knit a cozy little cardigan for her in a lovely shade of duck egg blue. This is my third time with this pattern, and I love how quickly it knits up, and doing the crochet edging is a lot of fun. Debbie Bliss Cashmerino is definitely one of my desert island yarns.

notes:
A great little pattern that's easy to knit. Can't beat top-down when it comes to baby knits! I did YO raglan increases this time, but otherwise followed the pattern as written. I think the sizing tends to run small on this pattern, so keep that in mind if you decide to knit one.

I contemplated using more exciting buttons in a contrast color, but just couldn't make a decision. The (very affordable and basic) buttons are made by Slimline and run just 99 cents for a card of five at my fabric store.

I have a new favorite trick for sewing on buttons! I used to sew buttons on with yarn, but it was often too bulky and lumpy and not fun to work with. Embroidery floss to the rescue! It comes in every imaginable shade, so it's easy to match colors, and it's very affordable. I keep my floss organized by DMC number in a nerdy tackle box. This took a little time to set up at first (as my prior organization consisted of throwing all the floss in a plastic bag), but has been well worth the effort in the long run.

The sweater is adorable. I just had to comment on your comment on the nerdy tackle box for your floss. Your box looks just like the boxes (5) I have for all my floss. I bought mine at the cross stitch store, so yours is just right. They work great don't they?Smiles,

Lovely little cardigan! I am just finishing up a baby sweater (Cute As One Button) for whatever special baby happens into my life next. I've decided that it's a good idea to have one in the hopper just in case. Baby sweaters are like appetizers - and are such good projects in-between the larger ones.